A/N: Sorry for the long wait. T^T I really didn't feel like I could write this, but it turned out much better than I expected. I had another chapter planned, which I decided to cut out. So the next update will be the epilogue!
-{[(•)]}-
Mike finished up the last bits of his lunch, watching Jeremy, Fritz, Foxy, Mangle, Balloon Boy, and Springtrap playing together. The storyline was convoluted and incomprehensible at this point, but everyone seemed to be having fun. The bear and bunny animatronics were at a table behind him; their conversation didn't sound very serious, so Mike didn't bother listening. Chica and Chi were in the kitchen, washing dishes and giggling to each other. Marion was spending some alone time in his box, now that everything seemed to have calmed down.
"Mikey!" Fritz whined and darted over. "Come play with us!" He grabbed the eight year old's hand and tugged. The older boy laughed lightly and shook his head.
"I gotta finish my drink! Then I'll go over there, I promise," the brunette assured. Fritz huffed at him and pouted, but the brown eyed boy easily went back to the game.
Mike continued watching as he sipped at his apple juice. He didn't bother hiding his fond amusement at the other's antics. Jeremy was being overly dramatic to compensate for the fact he had no idea what was going on. Foxy was naturally dramatic, but his desire to always lead the game caused a few clashes with Mangle. Springtrap was hesitant to really involve himself; then Fritz would send him a smile and suddenly the golden bunny was back in the game.
Soon, Mike found his cup empty. He grabbed his other dishes (and those of the other boys) and carried them into the kitchen. It was as he was coming back, he noticed the figure lurking in the entryway.
"Freddy?" Mike called softly. He bit his lip and hurried over to the bear. "Who's that?" The bear looked at him in surprise then followed his gaze to the mystery person.
"Oh no..."
No sooner had the animatronic mumbled the words, the person stormed into the dining hall and managed to grab Fritz and Jeremy. Fritz yelped in surprise at the sudden tug on his arm, while Jeremy angrily yelled at the sharp grip on his ear.
"No!" Mike panicked. "Let go!" His breathing quickened rapidly, and he rushed towards his friends. A robotic arm jutted into his path and carefully pulled him back. "Foxy?" The eight year old questioned tearfully.
"What are you doing in here?" The strange woman demanded. She yanked on Jeremy's ear, making him cry out. "This is a private establishment!"
Fred growled suddenly and took a step forward. The woman looked up at him fearfully, then her face hardened into a stern glare.
"You!" She scowled. She pulled at Fritz, and he whimpered at the extreme tension in the room. "This location is no longer in operation! No one is allowed to be in here!"
"They needed helped!" Bon Bom protested. "There's no way we could have left them out there!"
"They are not your concern! You're scheduled for permanent termination, today, and these brats will be going straight to... to an orphanage or foster home or CPS for all I care!" The adult shouted.
"Who is she?" Mike whispered to Foxy as he finally began to cry. If... If they went to CPS then he'd never get to see Jeremy or Fritz ever again, and Jeremy would go back to his mean dad, and Fritz could end up with some horrible family who hated him, and-
"Mikey, lad, breathe," Foxy rubbed his back gently. "We won't let anything happen to ya." As if to confirm, Freddy and Bonnie were already moving towards the woman. "An' she's... She's tha manager who ran this place, before." Mike hiccuped and nodded. He clung to the fox's side.
"Let tha boys go, Ma'am," Freddy warned, holding his hands out carefully.
"Oh, please!" The manager snapped. "You all know what has to happen. These brats can't live in an empty restaurant! They need to be taken care of, by humans. You all knew this day was coming!"
"Springy!" Fritz pleaded. The yellow rabbit had been suspiciously quiet, but now he stepped forward. His eyes glinted dangerously.
"Let them go," he demanded.
"W-w-we've taken b-better ca-care of them than-n any hum-m-man ever h-has!" Mangle cried, voice fluctuating wildly with emotion.
"Hello!" Ballon Boy yelled in agreement.
"A-All of you, stay away!" The woman shrieked. She stumbled backwards, painfully dragging the boys with her. "These brats have to go to a real family. All of y-you are being shut down or relocated!"
"They are our real family!" Jeremy screamed suddenly and kicked the manager in the shin. She cried out in surprise, giving him time to pick up Fritz and run to Mike's side. The animatronics were also still for a moment from sheer shock.
Jeremy had never acknowledged them in such a way before.
"You have to let us stay with them!" Jeremy continued to shout at the top of his lungs, sounding hoarse. "They feed us and take care of us and love us, which is more than I can say for any 'family' I had before! They're more than robots! They have feelings and they can think for themselves! They're as real as any family!"
"That's not how the world works!" The manager snarled. She pushed herself back up with a ferocious expression. "They're machines! They don't feel anything but codes and pre-programmed responses! And they're property of Fazbear Entertainment! We own them, and they have to do what we say! And it's by company order that these animatronics are shut down and relocated!"
"No! No!" Mike sobbed. Foxy tried to soothe him, but it didn't work.
"Please! You can't!" Fritz begged.
"They're not property, darn it! They're alive!" Jeremy roared.
The boys continued to yell and cry, but by now, most of the animatronics just looked resigned. Chica, Chi, and Marion had come out to see what was the matter. Marion was outraged at seeing the boys in such a state, but he was held back by a very solemn Golden Freddy.
"Please," Fred pleaded. "Can't we work something out? These boys, they're strong. But they need us."
The woman straightened herself out, smoothing her skirt and adjusting her hair. She glared at them for a long moment, before her eyes rested on the boys. Gradually, they began to soften. She sighed, rubbed her temples, and pulled out her phone.
"I'm not saying the company will do anything..." She sniffed at them, nose in the air. "...but I'll see what I can do." She moved with sharp, purposeful strides back outside.
Jeremy took the opportunity to turn on the animatronics.
"Did you know this was gonna happen?" He growled. "Did you know she was gonna come and try to shut you down?" Slowly, Fred nodded.
"We're sorry... We thought..." Chi started to make hopeless noises, as though she was crying as well.
"We thought we could talk to her before she found you..." Bon Bon admitted. Balloon Boy chirped a sad 'hi'.
"Really," Marion rolled his mask up to the ceiling and pushed his way out of Golden Freddy's hold. "As fun as this all is, why don't I just... send her away?" His eyes flickered dangerously, and Freddy seemed to rumble in agreement. But Fritz quickly stepped in.
"You can't just send people away 'cause you don't like 'em!" He whispered loudly. He tugged at the front of Marion's body, like it was a shirt. "And you can't hurt 'em 'cause they're mean, either!"
"I dunno, Fritz," Jeremy huffed. He cracked his knuckles. "If she tries anything, I'm just gonna start swinging."
"Please," Mike breathed, quickly getting tried from crying so much. Foxy scooped him up and snuggled him closer. "Please don't fight, Jeremy." The eleven year old lowered his fists with an irritated sigh, but he didn't argue.
The manager reentered at that moment, looking like she'd eaten something particularly sour. All of her body language was stiff and uncomfortable, but she forced a smile on to her face.
"Turns out the President was moved was your little sob story. He's working on getting the paperwork to adopt you boys, as we speak," she announced. Everyone gaped at her for a moment, before Mike's quiet voice stuttered back to life.
"W-What about them?" He gestured to the animatronics.
"Well, the Toys and Goldens will be relocated to the company warehouse, where they can spend the rest of their robotic retirement in peace. The Originals are being fixed up, and relocated to their new restaurant," the manager answered.
"Will we ever see them again?" Fritz asked.
"Seeing as the President lives in the company building, I'm sure you'll be able to visit your friends at the warehouse whenever it makes your little hearts content. As for the others, it'll be a bit of a drive, but I'm sure you'll make the time. Now, if that's all, I need to call the men in here so they can load you into the trucks," the woman snapped slightly, tapping her foot.
"I-I guess... This is goodbye for now," Mike looked up into Foxy's face. "But! We'll come see you guys again as soon as we can!"
"Yeah! We're gonna play together every day, and..." Fritz rambled on, running to each animatronic and giving them a big hug.
"See ya," Jeremy grumbled. Chi quickly pulled him in and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. The blonde squawked and jumped away from her defensively.
Everyone roared with laughter.
-{[(•)]}-
"That's Orion," Mike mumbled. His finger traced some pattern in the sky that Fritz couldn't see. "There's his belt, and his big shoulders, and his little, tiny head."
"Oh! What's that one?" The six year old pointed to a random part of the sky.
"That's..." Mike's voice seemed to trail off as Jeremy stared deep into the sky. The stars were amazing from the rooftops out here. But it was cold, and he could see the other boys shivering.
"-my. Jeremy. Jeremy!" Mike's voice brought him back into focus again. "You were... spacing out." Fritz giggled, and Jeremy groaned slightly. He pushed himself into sitting upright and looked over at the other's for a long moment.
"I'm just... worried," he finally admitted, with a casual shrug.
"About what?" Fritz snuggled into his side like the little snuggle bug that he was.
"Us, mostly, I guess," Jeremy frowned. "Mike gets sick easily, and I can only work so much, and you can't keep up with us when we run. One day, we're going to get caught. Or we're going to run out of supplies. I just... I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"It's okay, Jeremy," Mike smiled gently. "We'll stick together like always, and we'll always figure it out." He let his smile fade away. "Thank you. For taking care of us."
"No problem..."
A/N: Honestly, I kinda like the manager lady. She's rude, but she's really just trying to do her job. Also, when I said President...? I meant President of Fazbear Entertainment. Just in case there was any confusion.
QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: If you had to pick three animatronics, who would you cosplay, marry, and kill?